The Kano State Hisbah Board has cautioned residents against paying money to anyone claiming to process registration for the state’s mass wedding scheme, following reports of alleged extortion of intending beneficiaries.
The board said it had uncovered complaints that some individuals were collecting money from prospective participants, even though the Kano State Government had already undertaken to bear the full cost of the programme.
Speaking in Kano on Wednesday, the Deputy Commander-General of the board, Dr Mujahideen Aminuddeen, clarified that neither the Hisbah Board nor the state government had authorised anyone to charge registration or processing fees.
He explained that Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf had approved full funding for the initiative, including wedding clothing, furniture, transportation of the furniture and start-up support for beneficiaries.
According to him, participants are not expected to make any payment because the programme is entirely financed by the state government.
Mr Aminuddeen therefore advised the public to ignore anyone demanding money or claiming they could secure a slot in the mass wedding programme in exchange for payment.
He also urged anyone who had been approached for such payments, as well as members of the public, to report the suspects to the Hisbah Board or relevant security agencies for investigation and possible prosecution.
The warning follows concerns that fraudsters are taking advantage of the mass wedding initiative by impersonating government officials and extorting unsuspecting applicants.
The Kano mass wedding programme is part of the Yusuf administration’s social welfare initiatives designed to assist low-income couples and ease the financial challenges associated with marriage.